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Laws of Contract Rubber Bridge
Part 1 - Definitions

 
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  This document is provided courtesy of the
American Contract Bridge League

2990 Airways Blvd. S Memphis TN 38116–3847
901–332–5586
S Fax 901–398–7754

 

DEFINITIONS

Auction - 1. The process of determining the contract by means of successive calls. 2. The aggregate of calls made.
 
Bid - A declaration to win at least a specified number of odd tricks in a specified denomination.
 
Call - Any bid, double, redouble or pass.
 
Contract - The undertaking by declarer's side to win, at the denomination named, the number of odd tricks specified in the final bid, whether undoubled, doubled or redoubled.
 
Deal - 1. The distribution of the pack to form the hands of the four players. 2. The cards so distributed as a unit, including the auction and play thereof.
 
Declarer - The player who, for the side that makes the final bid, first bid the denomination named in that final bid. He becomes declarer when a legal opening lead is made and the dummy is faced.
 
Defender - An opponent of declarer.
 
Denomination - The suit or notrump specified in a bid.
 
Double - A call over an opponent's bid increasing the scoring value of fulfilled or defeated contracts (see Law 19).
 
Dummy - 1. Declarer's partner. 2. Declarer's partner's cards, once they are spread on the table after the opening lead.
 
Follow suit - Play a card of the suit that has been led.
 
Game - A unit in scoring denoting 100 or more trick points scored on one deal, or accumulated over two or more deals (see Laws 72 & 73).
 
Group - A number of players who have agreed to follow the same procedures.
 
Hand - The cards originally dealt to a player, or the remaining portion thereof.
 
Honor - Any Ace, King, Queen, Jack or ten.
 
Irregularity - A deviation from the correct procedures set forth in these Laws.
 
LHO - Left-hand opponent.
 
Lead - The first card played to a trick.
 
Odd trick - Each trick to be won by declarer's side in excess of six.
Opening lead - The card led to the first trick.
 
Opponent - A member of the partnership to which one is opposed.
 
Overtrick - Each trick won by declarer's side in excess of the contract.
 
Pack - The 52 playing cards with which the game of Contract Bridge is played.
 
Partner - The player with whom one plays as a side against the other two players.
 
Partscore - 90 or fewer trick points.
 
Pass - A call specifying that a player does not, at that turn, elect to bid, double or redouble.
 
Penalty - An obligation or restriction imposed upon a side for violations of these Laws.
 
Penalty card - A card prematurely exposed by a defender. It may be a major or minor penalty card (see Law 50).
 
Play - 1. The contribution of a card from one's hand to a trick, including the first card, which is the lead. 2. The aggregate of plays made. 3. The period during which the cards are played, starting immediately after the final pass.
 
RHO - Right-hand opponent.
 
Redeal - A second or subsequent deal to replace a faulty deal.
 
Redouble - A call over an opponent's double increasing the scoring value of fulfilled or defeated contracts (see Law 19).
 
Revoke - The play of a card of another suit by a player who is able to follow suit or to comply with a lead penalty.
 
Rotation - The clockwise order in which the right to deal, to call or to play progresses.
 
Rubber - The scoring period that ends when one side has scored two games.
 
Side - Two players who constitute a partnership against the other two players.
 
Slam - A contract to win 12 tricks (called Small Slam) or 13 tricks (called Grand Slam).
 
Suit - One of four groups of cards in the pack, each group comprising 13 cards and having a characteristic symbol: spades (S), hearts (H), diamonds (D), clubs (C).
 
Trick - The unit by which the outcome of the contract is determined, regularly consisting of four cards, one contributed by each player in rotation, beginning with the lead.
 
Trump - Each card of the suit, if any, named in the contract.
 
Undertrick - Each trick by which declarer's side falls short of fulfilling the contract.
 
Vulnerable - The status of a side that has won a game and is therefore exposed to greater undertrick penalties and entitled to greater premiums.
 

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